Tuesday, July 16, 2013

The Bittersweet Week in Real Estate

It is said that Realtors are some of the happiest people. It's really hard work, but it's a great gig. The part I didn't expect though, was how bittersweet it can be. After working hand in hand with clients for sometimes months, they're like family to me. We share the ups & downs, we laugh over kooky houses, we drink coffee, I fall into gopher holes (do homeowners REALLY not know there's a big hole in their lawn?) we write contracts over wine & pizza, we race to see new listings, we pick ourselves up when deals fall apart, we stop the car & jump out when we realize we're covered in ticks from walking through someone's overgrown yard, I bring the flowers and we stage the photo shoot...

I just had one of those jam-packed weeks where I experienced the whole gamut of real estate ups and downs. It was wonderful and exhausting all at once. Two listings I'd loved having closed, and both sets of homeowners headed out of this area to start new adventures. After spending so much time together, it's like going through withdrawal. I also met new clients, showed lots of properties, received 2 sweet thank you cards from clients and 1 from a fellow Realtor, taught a mobile app class, had buyers back out of a deal, did volunteer work, and wrote my article for Realtor Magazine's YPN blog. I was also asked to talk at a global symposium, and I'm flattered, but there's just too much on my plate right now. Then to end the week we had houseguests for the weekend, which was relaxing and exactly what I needed after my busy week.

I get a lot of phone calls from people considering transitioning into real estate. They always say that they can tell that I love my job, and they want to know how much work is involved, how competitive is it, what does it cost to run my business, etc. My favorite question: what's the best part of the job? My answer is pretty much always the same - how many new friends we make, families who become like our own extended family, and that moment when we walk into a house and instantly see the look on our client's face that says "this is home." That part gets me EVERY time.